A Merry Murphy Christmas
by Winter Winks 221
Summary: I know it's early- but I couldn't wait! Zack is looking forward to his first Christmas in Swamp City with his parents- until their home burns down. With only a week left until Christmas, can Milo, Melissa and their families bring a little Christmas magic and a lot of friendship to a friend and his family in need? *First MML fanfic, so I hope characters aren't OOC!*
1. Snowball Fight!

Okay, so here is my first ever Milo Murphy's Law fanfic! It contains contain dark themes, such as near drowning and house fire, so don't read it if that upsets you. It will also contain plenty of heart-breaking and heart -warming moments, plus some humour as well. You guys like that, right? I've not got any pairings in mind for this story- it largely focuses on family and friendship throughout.

So, with that in mind, I hope you guys choose to read on- and enjoy! Reviews, constructive criticism, favourites and follows are not essential, but would be much appreciated, and I hope these guys aren't OCC. Thank you.

Monday 18th December, 2017

...

Snow had inconvenienced both teachers' cars and the school bus in Swamp City, and, as a result-much to the delight of the kids- school was cancelled, which meant they got a few extra days of holiday.

For new kid Zack Underwood, this was an unexpected treat. He and his parents had moved to Swamp City fairly recently, and he'd quickly assimilated into his new home- but even so, it was just so hard to believe that his first Christmas in a new home was here already.

"So, has the snow been this bad in your memory, guys?" He asked his two companions, walking on either side of him, as they stepped over some nails, and sidestepped a runaway bicycle tyre on fire- courtesy of Murphy's Law.

"Nope- it hasn't been this bad since before we were born!" Melissa Chase, one of his best friends, replied, grinning wickedly. "This is great! We get an extended holiday!" She punched the air triumphantly.

Milo Murphy, their other best friend, adjusted his backpack filled with immeasurable items needed for various unlucky situations the trio would undoubtedly find themselves into.

"You know- my grandfather, my grandmother and my father ended up in a snowstorm once." He said thoughtfully. "They got stranded in the middle of nowhere by a snowstorm that was 34 _7/8_ inches- and my grandfather got ambushed by snow geese whilst trying to dig their car out- and he got hypothermia and chilblains in the process."

"You don't say," Zack deadpanned- though he was secretly intrigued by how his new friend's family could have such strange adventures. He _had_ been on several with Milo and Melissa himself- in fact; he even managed to face his 'claustro-avoidance' after they were buried in a rock slide following an encounter of underground construction workers.

"So, my family doesn't do winter vacations," Milo finished. "Summer ones suit us better. But a Christmas at home with family, food and the Dr. Zone Christmas special- that suits my family just fine! Are you doing anything for Christmas, Zack?" He asked excitedly.

"I'll just be at home, celebrating Christmas with my parents like we usually do." Zack replied. "What about you, Melissa?"

At once, the red head's face soured. "My Aunt Lauren and some cousins will be coming over to spend Christmas with me and my dad." She said in disgust. "I get along alright with my cousins sometimes, but..." she trailed off, clearly unwilling to continue further.

"She doesn't like her aunt very much," Milo whispered to their friend as means of explanation.

"Well, I think we should plan something to do since we have no school." Zack suggested, changing the subject in an attempt to distract Melissa's mind from thoughts of her dreaded aunt. At once, the two brightened up at the idea.

"We could go ice skating," Milo suggested, as he skidded across an icy puddle on the pavement- right into a lamppost.

"Are you sure _that's_ safe?" Zack asked uncertainly, as he and Melissa swarmed round their friend to help him- but he merely gave a goofy grin to show he was unharmed, making Zack sigh and Melissa chuckle.

"Well, it's worth a shot," Melissa said with a shrug. "And hey, what's the worst that could happen?"

"'Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,'" Zack quoted defensively. But on realising that Melissa would annihilate his argument quickly and ruthlessly, he sighed. "Okay, fine-we'll do that." He relented.

"We really don't have to if"- Milo started uncertainly, but Melissa cut him off.

"Hey, don't worry about it. If the worst comes to the worst, we've got our brains and your backpack." She reminded him with a smile.

"Yeah..." Zack agreed reluctantly, adjusting his brown woollen scarf. He just missed Melissa secretly winking at Milo- and he didn't realise she stopped either.

Waving Milo ahead to join Zack, she crouched onto the ground and scooped up a handful of snow into her palm, compressing many drops of crystallised rain into a little white sphere. Aiming it carefully, she waited for the opportune moment- and fired.

Suddenly, Zack felt a cold missile hit his neck, and droplets of melted snow ran down the back of his neck, beneath his scarf. He barely registered what happened when he heard;

"I've got you, Underwood!"

The cold burning his neck, Zack immediately swung round to see Melissa- hip cocked, snowball in her right hand- and a huge smirk on her face. He felt his own lips curl into a challenging, mischievous smile.

"You're on, Melissa!" He shouted back, and he stooped to craft a snowball quickly, before she launched another attack.

Instead, he heard a loud _'oof!'_ and some giggling from the enemy. Risking a glance to his left, he saw that Milo had been felled by Melissa. The African – American teen was alarmed by this- how could the unluckiest kid he knew, who was prepared for any disaster heading his way, fail to avoid a snowball?

"C'mon, Milo, join me- and we'll win!" Zack shouted, throwing a snowball in Melissa's direction- but she merely dodged it like a gazelle and hurled another snowball at him. This time, Zach avoided it with a dive- and promptly started on another snowball- but not before cold white powder fell out of his black hair-from a cold tingling area on his forehead.

Milo, unable to resist the temptation, decided to join in the fun- and started to make a snowball.

"Be careful, Milo! We don't want a repeat of the polar bear incident!" Melissa shouted, and that concerned Zack- even more than Melissa's lethal aim. What could have _possibly_ happened?

"Oh, Melissa and I were having a snowball fight a few years ago- and a female polar bear escaped from a lorry headed for the zoo." Milo explained casually, just as if he was explaining the working of a maths sum.

"Okay...what happened?" Zack asked nervously, wondering if he wanted to know what happened.

"We ended up running from her and then we climbed up a tree to escape!" Melissa continued excitedly. "She went in the river, and then the branch we were on broke and Milo"-

"-landed on her back." Milo cut in. "just as she was coming out of the river again. Did you know that a polar bear's coat actually consists of hollow, air filled tubes?"

Zack shook his head in bafflement, and Milo grinned. "So, to end the story, I did end up with a couple of scratches- and as an epilogue, when the zoo staff caught the polar bear, they took her back to be checked over, and then they found she was pregnant!"

"Yep- they named the polar bear cub after him," Said Melissa, smiling broadly as she jerked a thumb towards her old friend. "They send him and his family a card every Christmas with little Milo and his mom, Chrissie."

"Yep- I've got this year's card with me!" Milo said, and he fished it out from his pocket before showing it to his two friends. On it was a picture of two polar bears- one large female polar bear was lying on the ground, and her cub was cuddled up to her. It read in beautiful red and green letters trimmed in gold across the top 'Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the Murphy family!'

"Aww, that's so cute!" Melissa said excitedly, gazing at the polar bears looking so content and calm. Zack chuckled.

Milo Danger Murphy was definitely one of the coolest people he knew. How many people could have encounters with polar bears and walk away unaffected, with only a few scars _and_ a polar bear cub named after them?

He shivered as the already cold air somehow grew even colder, and he pulled his coat closer to his body to try and keep warmer- it was then that he realised to his shock that it was now starting to get dark. If they headed home now, they would make it well before nightfall.

"Come on, you guys- we'll warm up at mine with some hot chocolate." He decided. Grateful, his friends gathered up their belongings and the trio left the park, feeling both freezing cold and warm and cosy at the same time.


	2. Tragedy at the Underwood House

The three friends were chatting happily as they walked to Zach's house, snow crunching under their feet. Murphy's Law was relatively mild for the trio- an occasional obstacle would unexpectedly appear, but either Milo was able to deal with it using his trusty backpack- or they would just avoid it altogether.

Zack and Milo slacked behind as they ended up drifting into a casual conversation, but Melissa noticed a black line forming across the twilight sky, and frowned. Squinting a little, she realised that it was smoke- and it was coming from roughly where Zack lived. Being the daughter of a fireman, this never brought good news.

"Hey, Zack, where's all the smoke coming from?" She asked him, pointing to the ribbon of black smoke drifting across the purple- orange sky.

"Wherever it's coming from, that's causing some serious pollution." Milo added as he stopped to survey what Melissa had observed. "The poor birds will suffer from this- not to mention the atmosphere."

"It's coming from my neighbourhood- one of my neighbours' houses could be on fire," Said Zack worriedly. "Maybe we should see if we could help them, somehow."

The three took off at a sprint along the pavement, wondering where the fire was coming from. They dodged stray rolling trashcans more masterfully than D.K, and averted the occasional swooping duck.

As they rounded the corner onto Zack's neighbourhood, the small cavalcade let out a sharp gasp in fear.

Sirens wailed. Firefighters rushed around. Smoke spewed and flames billowed from the windows of the Underwood residence.

The young Underwood boy in particular felt his heart freeze in his chest at the chilling sight of his home going up in flames. He ran towards it, with Melissa and Milo running after him.

It didn't seem real- in fact; it almost felt like a bad dream. The Underwood teen halted at next door's fence and watched as the fire consumed the short lived memories he and his mom and dad had made in their new home. Most smoke was coming from downstairs- although some of it had started to eat its way upstairs.

"Oh my Diogee," Said Milo in shock, something he rarely felt due to having grown up with Murphy's Law and being completely unfazed by what it brought him- but this wasn't Murphy's Law. It was reality.

Acrid smoke hit their noses and the three took a step back, Milo accidentally falling over a trashcan left out by Zack's family's neighbour. Melissa helped him up just as a suited figure made their way over to the fence.

"Alright, kids, stand back, please," the figure requested, waving his hands as though shooing away flies when he saw Milo, Melissa and Zack all clustering round the upturned trashcan.

"Marshall- is my dad in there?" Melissa asked the fireman urgently.

"Yes he is, little lady- he's helping Frances with the fire." The fireman named Marshall replied. "Look, you three need to stay away from the fire, okay?"

Melissa rolled her eyes at the patronising way Marshall sounded, but, regardless, the three teens nodded- Zack almost as though he was on autopilot. Then, Marshall hurried away to help his colleagues with the fiery onslaught, leaving the kids by themselves.

Zack took a step backwards in disbelief and shock, unable to believe what was happening- and was instantly in two pairs of supportive, loving arms.

"We're so sorry, Zack," Melissa murmured, her voice barely audible over the noise of the sirens. "We're gonna help you through this- whatever it takes."

"Yeah," Agreed Milo, quietly. "We're just glad you and your parents are not in it."

Letting out a sob, Zach buried himself into his friends- who only squeezed him tighter in order to show their compassion and sympathy. They were still in their group hug when a car pulled up near the fire engine, and two people got out.

"Mom, Dad!" The African American called out to his parents, his voice breaking with grief.

"Zack- thank goodness you're safe!" Doctor Eileen Underwood exclaimed, rushing forward to embrace her son, with her husband Marcus not far behind. Milo and Melissa stepped back, holding each other's hands for comfort. Even if they were used to combustion of their surroundings due to Murphy's Law, their best friend's house going up in flames was more than enough to throw both teens off guard.

"You kids weren't in the house, were you?" Marcus asked them worriedly, as he embraced both his wife and son.

"No, Mr. Underwood, sir- we were at the park," Milo explained politely. "We came here to warm up at your place- and found _this_." He gestured a hand to the fire, unable to actually say it- it was still too surreal to him. He exchanged worried looks with Melissa. The Underwood family were safe- thank goodness for that.

But by the looks of the fire's severity, they would also be homeless until the house was rebuilt- and to top it all, it was only a week until Christmas.

What kind of sick, twisted joke was this?


	3. Milo's Invitation

Sometime later, Richard Chase walked over to Marcus, Eileen and Zack- leaving Marshall and a female firefighter-indubitably Frances- to double check for any flames and put away the hose.

"Mr. and Dr. Underwood?" He asked. He had heard about them from his daughter, Melissa, and he was now feeling disbelieved that the new guys in town, particularly ones as nice as the Underwood family, had been so unlucky at Christmas. "We are very sorry about your loss."

"Please, do you know what caused it?" Marcus asked Richard painfully, one arm round Zack's shoulders, and his other arm round his wife's shoulders.

"Well, we found that the cause of the fire was a defect on your Christmas tree lights." Richard replied, shaking his head. "You're lucky you guys weren't in that fire- that one was particularly intense."

Zack bit his lip on hearing this.

"Well, you guys will have to stay in a hotel for the time being," Richard continued, carefully. "Your home is very badly damaged, I'm afraid."

Milo and Melissa exchanged horrified looks. They wanted to make Zack's first Christmas here in Swamp City special- and in order to do that, and help them recover from the fire, there was going to be a lot of work ahead for the two friends.

Richard scrolled through a list of hotels on his phone "There is the Swann Premier a couple of blocks away, or the Young Inn, or"-

"Or they could stay with my family." Milo suggested, before Richard could continue. The whole party gaped at Milo- apart from Melissa, who was calm about this turn of events. She had a feeling that Milo wouldn't hesitate to help the Underwood family at a time like this.

"Are-are you sure, Milo? Shouldn't you ask your parents first?" Eileen asked in concern.

"Well, yeah- but the Murphy family never ignore a friend in need." Milo answered confidently, and he whipped out his cell phone to call his parents.

...

The next five minutes were some of the tensest minutes of Zack's life. He didn't want to burden the Murphy family- but spending Christmas with Milo and his family would be much better than spending it at a hotel, Murphy's Law or not.

"...really, you will? Oh thank you!" Milo said happily, and hung up, a huge smile on his lips. "Mom says you guys can stay with us for the time being!" He told them. "It's no hassle- we're prepared for any situation."

Eileen and Marcus squeezed each other's hands lovingly at this news, and Zack found himself tearing up. "Milo...I-I don't know what to say..." he said.

"Well, you're one of my best friends, Zack, and you and your family deserve to have the best Christmas ever in Swamp City. So Melissa and I are going to ensure that you get that, no matter what it takes"-

He was cut off by a pair of arms squeezing him in gratitude.

"Hey, thanks man," Zack said earnestly. "You're a great friend to step in like this."

"You're welcome, Zack," Milo replied, returning his friend's hug. "You guys stay as long as you need to."

...

Not long after this, Melissa had to say goodbye to Zack and Milo, as her dad decided to take her home. She hugged her boys, promised she'd call later, and they separated. Marcus and Eileen got back in their car with Zack and Milo.

"Are you sure your family will cope with this, Milo?" Marcus asked as they drove back to the Murphy household, leaving their tragedy behind.

"I'm positive, Mr. Underwood!" Milo answered brightly "Murphy's Law makes the family very good at preparation- especially last minute plans."

Zack rested his head on his hand as he stared out of the car window.

Well, this was going to be an eventful Christmas.

...

Bridgette Murphy greeted the Underwood family with her sympathy of the tragedy- and her relief that no one had been in the fire when it happened.

"I'll make some tea for you," she said, gently ushering them inside, before shutting the door against the cold.

The Underwood family sat down on the sofa- Zack nestled between his parents and sat there quietly.

Milo, who was sitting at the top of the stairs, was worried- his friend had been very quiet on the ride over to his house, and he didn't know the best way to remedy this.

"He'll just need time, Milo," Sarah whispered to her little brother, sitting down beside him. "You okay?"

"I'm just upset at this whole thing, Sarah." Milo replied quietly. "I want to help Zack, I do- it's just, well, thinking about the fire's pretty upsetting. But I know it's worse for them!" He added in alarm.

"I know what you mean, little bro- watching a friend or loved one's house burn is still scary." Sarah put an arm round Milo's shoulders, rubbing his arm comfortingly. "But it's not the end of their world- not with you and Melissa around, anyway."

"Thanks, Sarah," And he gave her a hug, which she returned.

...

"We have a guest bedroom we can quickly clear out and give to you." Bridgette told Eileen and Marcus, as she handed them mugs of strong, steaming tea.

"Oh, thank you," Eileen said gratefully, accepting her tea. "But where will Zack sleep?"

"He can share my room!" Milo offered, leaning over the banister at the mention of his friend's name- but yelped as he fell over the banister and grabbed onto the railing. Everyone in the room, including Zack, started at the situation- but the eldest Murphy child was unfazed by her brother's bad luck.

"I've got him, Mom!" Sarah called, reaching out a hand for her brother to grab on to. He took it, and she carefully hauled her sibling up the wall- and safely over back to the stairs.

"Whew, thanks Sarah!" Milo said gratefully. "You're a lot stronger than you look."

"Y-you're welcome..." Sarah wheezed in response, giving Milo a thumb up sign.

"Hey, dude- you okay?" Zack asked, standing under the stairs to look up at his disaster prone friend in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Zack!" The brown eyed teen replied, backing away from the banister just in case- accidentally sending a picture of the Murphy family falling off the wall, which ended up hitting his head.

Zack and Sarah winced in sync at the mishap- but the casualty merely shook his head and grinned at them as though nothing had happened. Then again, Zach supposed, in comparison to his other adventures such as the 'Llama Incident' Milo would have seen _that_ as nothing.

"So, Zack, are you alright if we share my room?" Milo asked again.

"Uh, I guess so..." The other boy replied. "Shall we go up there...?"

"That would be wise," Milo agreed. "Mind you, something would probably still happen even if we are in my room, but"-

"I know," Zach interrupted. "I'm just unwilling to chance seeing you break your neck."

Milo didn't answer, but he merely scarpered upstairs, with Zack running after him.

...

"Well, here we are!" Milo announced brightly as they opened the door to his room. Zack stepped in cautiously and closed the door behind him- only to hear a scratch and a whine.

"Oh, sorry, Zack- do you mind sharing with Diogee?" Milo asked, embarrassed. "He usually stays with me in here."

"It's cool, man," Replied Zack, and he opened the door, letting in a yellow and brown dog. Diogee barked happily before running over to greet his master.

"Hello, Diogee!" Milo greeted, bending down to ruffle his pooch's ears.

"Hey, Milo- why's that shelf empty?" Zack asked his friend cautiously, pointing to a shelf which formerly contained Dr. Zone merchandise, books and other knick knacks. Not only was it empty, but it was also largely devoid of any dust.

He went to get a closer look at it, unaware that behind him, Milo was counting on his fingers.

A loud 'CRASH!' echoed through the room just as Milo yanked his comrade out of the way of the falling bookshelf just in time.

That's why." Milo said, once again remaining calm about the ordeal. "That happens a lot." He added.

...

"What was that?" Eileen asked in shock, jumping up at the crash.

"Murphy's Law," Marcus muttered.

"Milo, Zack- are you boys okay?" Bridgette called. "It wasn't your bookshelf again, was it Milo?" She added as an afterthought.

"We're fine, Mom- and yeah, that was my bookshelf again..." her son replied sheepishly.

"You know, I could easily put it back up for you, if you like..." Marcus offered.

Bridgette just shook her head. "No thank you, Marcus. I do appreciate the offer, but don't fret about it." She smiled at them, at which the other two parents smiled back.

...

After they had dinner and amused themselves for a few hours, everyone decided to call it a night. The Underwoods in particular were exhausted after what had happened to them and went to bed a little earlier than usual.

Marcus and Eileen went to sleep in the temporarily decluttered guest room- but as Milo only had one bed; the only option was that the two teenage boys had was to share a bed for the time being.

Zack stood beside the bed uncertainly as Milo shimmied down under the covers, with Diogee cuddling up to him.

"You okay, Zach?"

"Yeah- this...well, it just seems a bit weird. I"- but he stopped on seeing the other boy's face cloud with confusion. "Never mind," He was too tired to nit-pick and just wanted to sleep.

"Okay, if you're sure. Goodnight, Zack. Goodnight Diogee." Milo said sleepily.

Diogee barked in reply, and then curled up next to his young master before starting to snore contently.

"Goodnight, Milo. Goodnight, Diogee." Zack replied wearily.

Despite his fatigue, he couldn't sleep- closed eyes brought the smell of smoke, the sight of orange- red tongues licking away his home, and the sound of its supports slowly weakening under a fiery burden.

He didn't toss and turn. Instead, footsteps quietly paced back and forth across the floor for hours.


	4. Anatidae Arson!

Tuesday 19th December, 2017

...

A fuzzy sensation on his cheek greeted Zack the next morning- not to mention a pair of curious brown eyes full of concern. A red and black striped sweater vest loomed over him.

"Hey, Zack- what are you doing sleeping on the floor?" Milo asked, offering a hand to his friend.

Zack took Milo's hand and let the other boy pull him up to his feet. "I'm not sure of that myself," he replied. He remembered his insomnia, and how he was pacing round Milo's room in the dark- he must have collapsed from exhaustion at some point.

"Hey, what time is it?" He asked reluctantly, rubbing his neck- it was exceptionally stiff and very sore.

"It's half past ten!" Milo answered brightly. "Melissa called earlier- she said she was going to call last night, but she got distracted. I told her you were asleep and she said she'd call you later,"

"Great," Replied Zack wearily, stifling a yawn. "Are our parents up?" He asked, to change the subject.

"Yeah, but they're working. And Sarah went with your dad to run some errands."

Zack's eyes popped open at that. He was alone in the house...with Milo?

"Oh, don't worry- my mom's in her office outside." Milo added reassuringly, on seeing alarm cross his friend's face. "Come on- I'll make you some breakfast." He added kindly. "How do waffles sound to you?"

' _Oh, someone help me!'_ Zack pleaded silently. The macaroni explosion he and Melissa got caught in crossed his mind.

...

Once in the kitchen, Milo bravely endeavoured to make waffles, and then pancakes. But each attempt failed miserably- due to food getting stuck on the ceiling ('Oops, my bad!'); Diogee stealing some pancakes ('No, Diogee, those are for Zack!'); ducks breaking into the kitchen and setting the maple syrup on fire ("Anatidae arson!")

Then Milo obtained a very painful burn on his left arm from accidentally coming into contact with the hob after trying to stop the batter from spilling all over the floor.

"Woah, Milo- you should get that seen to, buddy." Zach said, indicating the nasty red burn on his best friend's arm. "Don't want that getting infected."

"It's okay, Zach- I've got it," Milo insisted, with his arm under the cold tap.

"No, no, let me- it'll be easier if someone helps." Zack said firmly. He went to the kitchen's first aid kit box – Melissa, Bridgette, Sarah and Zack knew where these kits were located throughout the house- brought out some bandages and scissors, before dressing the wound as quickly and efficiently as a doctor.

"Wow- thanks Zack!" Milo said gratefully, examining his friend's handiwork. "You did a really neat job with this."

"Hey, there's no need to thank me, Milo," Replied Zack, looking round the kitchen. Broken eggs and batter oozed from every nook and cranny, and burn marks were on the worktop. Several of Bridgette's pans were covered in slimy pancake batter, and two ducks were fighting over a waffle.

Then, Milo's cell phone rang from his shorts pocket. Fishing it out, he held it to his ear. "Hello? Oh, yeah, he's here- and awake." Milo handed the phone to him. "It's for you, Zack."

Zack took his friend's phone and held it aloft. He had a feeling he knew who it was "Hello, Melissa."

"Hey, Zack- just wanted to see how you were getting on." Melissa replied. "Though you don't sound happy to talk to me..." She teased. "So, how are you doing so far this morning?"

' _Terrible,'_ Zack thought immediately. He was tired, stiff, and he hadn't anything to eat- but he wasn't about to make either of his friends feel bad, so he just replied "Okay, I guess...?"

"Cool!" Melissa answered. "So, why didn't you pick up your cell this morning? I called you earlier, but I didn't get a response, so I called Milo instead."

At once, the African American remembered what had happened.

 _Zack was upstairs in his bedroom when his cell phone rang. He grabbed it off his desk and on seeing the caller I.D, he accepted the call immediately._

" _Hey, Zack!"_

" _Hi, Melissa- what's up?" He asked._

" _The sky of course! Hey, I was wondering if maybe you, me and Milo could hang out this afternoon and have a snowball fight in the park."_

" _Um, sure!"_

" _Great! Me and Milo are heading out, so we'll meet up at the bus stop, okay? You know, where we usually meet for school? Say, in ten minutes from now."_

" _Alright, I get it. See you guys later!" Zack said._

" _Okay, see you later, Zackinator!" Melissa answered mischievously, and hung up._

 _Zack tossed his phone onto his bed as he threw on another pair of socks, a winter jacket, boots, hat and scarf._

" _Dad, I'll be out with Melissa and Milo, okay?" He called out. "Do you need me to get anything while I'm gone?"_

" _No, son, that's fine." Marcus answered. "I'm going out later, anyway. You just enjoy your day out."_

" _Thanks, dad!" Zack called out, and hurried out of the door._

"My cell phone...went up in flames..." Zack realised, and groaned. This was truly a horrible day, and it wasn't even 12 yet!

"Ouch..." Said Melissa. "Well, don't worry, Zack- I'm not giving up that easily."

"Thanks, Melissa." Zack replied- just before he heard a voice shout Melissa's name.

"Ugh, I gotta go- I'll see you guys later, okay?" Melissa said, and hung up.

Zack returned Milo's phone to its owner and said "So, Milo, do you want some help with that?" He gestured to the kitchen.

"That would be much appreciated Zack." Milo responded. "But you'll still need breakfast." He reminded him in concern.

"I'll be fine," Sighed Zack. "I think you'll need all the help you can get to clean this mess up."

"Great! Could you get the egg and batter off the floor whilst I chase the ducks out of here?" Milo requested.

"Sure." Zack sighed. This was going to be a _long_ day.


	5. Operation Clean Up

Bridgette fancied a cup of coffee, so she pushed back her chair and left her outdoor office. She crossed the lawn, passing Diogee, and entered the house- only to find the kitchen covered in duck feathers, eggs, raw batter, and flour.

In the midst of it all were Milo and Zack working vigorously to clean the chaos that had somehow erupted when she hadn't been looking.

"Morning, boys!" She greeted cheerfully, not minding the state of the kitchen. It was Murphy's Law, after all- you had to be very patient to deal with it on a day to day basis. Especially when your husband and son both have the condition.

Milo and Zack both paused their work to respond to her greeting.

"Good morning Mom!" Milo greeted cheerfully, beaming as he scrambled off the worktop with flour covered knees and batter covered elbows. Feathers nestled in his brown cowlick.

"Good morning, Milo's mom," Added Zack, a smaller smile on his face. He had flour in his hair and on his hands.

"Did you two sleep well?" Bridgette asked, causing Zack to panic. How could he answer that?! He hadn't slept well, truth be told, but he was reluctant to give a negative reply to the query. But he couldn't lie, either.

Just then, a random duck quaked, and flew out at them from the top of the cupboards. Zack shrieked and ducked for cover, but Milo merely beamed when he saw their anatidae intruder.

"Oh there you are! I thought I was missing one!" Milo said cheerfully. "Sorry about the kitchen, Mom- I was trying to make pancakes and waffles for Zack...only the ducks invaded, and the maple syrup went on fire."

"That's okay, sweetie." Bridgette replied. "Would you like some help cleaning this?"

"That'd be appreciated, Mom- but aren't you working?" Milo asked in confusion.

"Yeah- besides, we've got this!" Zack added, not sounding too sure about his statement. Especially as the duck started eating Zack's platypus pyjama leg- well, they were Milo's old pyjamas, actually. Zack lost a lot of his clothes in the fire- as did his parents.

"Shoo!" Zack gently shook his leg, disgruntling the duck on the floor. "Melissa's just going to laugh at this whole thing, isn't she?" He sighed.

"Well...probably. But hey, it's not the end of the world," Milo replied, shrugging cheerfully. "Who needs a quiet breakfast in bed, anyway? Those are overrated." He grinned, picking up the duck with ease, and it settled down in his arms with immediate trust. It was obvious Milo was a familiar face to the strange anatidae population of Swamp City.

"Hey Princess!" He said cheerfully. "It's nice seeing you again- it's been so long. But I'm afraid you can't stay for breakfast. I don't think ducks are supposed to eat pancakes- or waffles. Out you go." And he let the duck out of the back door, causing it- her, apparently- to fly away.

"You...name the ducks?" Zach asked. He would never understand Milo's quirks and unusual personality. He hoped Melissa had a better understanding.

"Oh no- just that one in particular." Milo answered cheerfully. "But I'll explain the story behind her later- perhaps while we're finishing off cleaning the kitchen."

"Well, I'm about to make coffee- would you like some breakfast, Zack?" Bridgette offered.

"Uh, no thanks," Zack declined politely. "I still have to help Milo clean up. I'm not hungry, anyway."

"Are you sure? Sarah's helping your dad do some shopping, so you'd do well to have some breakfast when he comes back." Bridgette suggested.

"Well, okay then." But Zack didn't feel like doing that. He still thought about the fire that destroyed his home, and he'd wondered if there was anything that could have been done to save his house from burning down.

Milo saw Zack develop a thoughtful expression, and he grew worried. He had a feeling Zack was thinking about the fire- but Sarah had said it would be better for them all if Zack came to Milo- when or if he wanted to.

But Milo didn't know how else to help. He and Melissa had never been in this situation before, so could he-

' _Melissa! She's the daughter of a fireman- she must know how to help fire victims!'_ Milo realised with triumph.

"Hey, Zack, we'll take a break." He suggested. "I need to make a phone call."

Zack's face fell at that. "Okay, Milo," He said. "Shall I go into the living room?"

"Yes, please." Milo replied. "I wouldn't be long, I promise- but it is important!"

As Zack went to the living room to chill after the morning's events, Milo whipped out his cell phone and called Melissa.


	6. Important Phone Call

"Hey Milo! What's up?" Melissa asked Milo once she answered his call.

"Not much- just dealt with some ducks setting fire to the kitchen." Milo answered breezily, before remembering why he had phoned Melissa in the first place. "Melissa, I hate to bother you like this, but I was wondering how one might help fire victims." He admitted quietly.

"Okay." Melissa said thoughtfully. Milo heard her bed creak, on the other end of th line before dissipating into silence. He took a deep breath.

"I just want to do something to help Zack and his parents- but I'm not sure what else to do." Milo confessed.

"Well, just listen if any of them want to talk. And maybe Sarah could help you do errands for the Underwoods?" Melissa suggested helpfully. "It might not seem like a great deal, but believe me, the many times my dad and I have heard that fire survivors appreciate that someone listened to them."

"Anything else?"

"Well, cooking meals would be helpful."

"That might be difficult with the duck arson." Milo said, and Melissa chuckled. "But I'll keep trying, Mel."

"Good. Now, I've got my own plan in mind over at my end, so just be there for the Underwoods- and recruit Sarah to help with errands when possible." Melissa added confidently.

"Thanks Melissa. That helps a lot." Milo said, feeling relieved that he had some idea of how to help.

"Hey, no problem, Milo. Is Zack holding up okay?"

"Well, we haven't talked about...it, but I think he's not ready for that yet." Milo confided.

"Okay. Well, I gotta go, but tell Zack I said hey."

"Will, do, Melissa!" Milo answered perkily. "Thanks again!"

"No worries- just call again if you need me, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Melissa."

"Bye, Milo."

Milo hung up and felt a tension leave his shoulders. He bent down and ruffled Diogee's ears, who was curled up by his ankles. "C'mon, boy- let's join Zack in the living room," He said cheerfully.

Diogee barked, and ran ahead of his master.

...

Meanwhile, Melissa fired up her computer and her screenshot blazed into life; a photo of a woman dressed in a mint green shirt and a gold loop necklace round her slender neck. She had bright, fiery orange hair and sapphire eyes aflame with love, laughter and life. In fact, she resembled Melissa; only she looked slightly older and had a scar on her forehead half hidden by her fringe.

Milo knew about her mom, and when they were younger, he told her he was willing to share his mother with her. If Melissa needed to talk to a female figure, she'd be nearby. Melissa always appreciated that, even though they were seven when Milo first made that promise to her.

And Bridgette was much nicer and easier to get along with than Aunt Lauren, any day. How her dad had managed to grow up with her, she didn't know. And she wasn't sure if she would know, either, being an only child.


	7. In Which an Email was Sent

Melissa opened her email account and typed in 'Yard Sale?' in the subject, putting aside thoughts of her mom for the time being. Fingers flew across the keyboard and letters came flyng in at lightning speed, forming a message:

' _Hey guys! I'm holding a yard sale later this week to raise money for Zack and his family following the fire that burned their house down. So, if you guys are considering clearing out your closets, now's a good time to do it!_

 _Please email back if you would like to help, or have any donations to offer. Or both._

 _For the Underwoods!_

 _Sincerely, Melissa'_

Melissa sent the email to everyone in her contact list, and then she grabbed a notebook and paper. She drew a line down the page and wrote down two headings in a chicken scrawl. The left column was marked 'Donations' and the right was marked 'Helpers'. She tapped her pen on her notebook, deep in thought.

Suddenly, two pings echoed round the room, causing her to look up- two new messages. Opening them eagerly, she saw that one was from Amanda;

' _Melissa,_

 _I am more than happy to change my schedule to allow for the sale. And I will do the organizing.'_

 _Yours,_

 _Amanda.'_

And the other was from Bradley.

' _I can certainly spare my unneeded possessions. Anything for you, Melissa. So long as Milo's not there to ruin things.'_

Melissa rolled her eyes at Bradley's sneer at Milo, but regardless, she wrote down Amanda's name in the right column, and Bradley in the left.

…..

An hour later, Melissa got emails from their classmate Mort, Neal (Sarah's new boyfriend), Chad, several other classmates, Veronica (Milo's former babysitter and a fan of the Lumberzacks) and even one from her Aunt Tianna- all offering donations to bring or assistance at the sale itself. A couple even agreed to bring donations and stick around to help.

Melissa sent out thank you emails to everyone for their overwhelming generosity, and then went to ask her dad about doing it.

….

She found him in the kitchen drinking coffee and reading the Swamp City Star. "Hey, Dad!" She said breezily.

"Hi, Melissa. What are you up to?" He asked warily, imagining the determined glint in his daughter's eye. She was so much like Melody and her sister.

Melissa grinned. "Dad, could I hold a yard sale this week?" She asked innocuously. This caused him to look up at her from his newspaper.

"A yard sale? What for?" He asked, surprses.

"Well, I thought I could help Zack and his parents after the fire. I know people who'd be interested in helping." Melissa explained, sitting across from him and giving him the 'Doe Eyes.' "Please? It's important…"

"Well…alright." He consented, causing Melissa to lean across the table and hug him excitedly.

"Thanks Dad!" She exclaimed.

"That's alright, sweetie. Do you need me there, Melissa?"

"Why? It's just a yard sale." Melissa asked, confused- but at his knowing look, it dawned on her. Oh.

She hadn't even considered if Milo would help- though he would want to help as well.

And as much as she adored her goofy, clumsy and cheerful best friend, Murphy's Law could be a major problem, if not a deterrent, for people. And she really wanted to help Zack. But she couldn't leave Milo out of this, either. It wasn't fair on either of them.

"I haven't heard from him yet- but we'll work something out if he can help." She told him at last, figuring that that was the best answer she could give him for now.

"Well, I'll try to be there in case of emergencies." He promised. He took another sip of his coffee before nodding to the front door. "I've got spare tables in the garage you could borrow."

"Thanks Dad!" She gave him another massive hug before dashing off again to talk about the arrangements with Amanda.

…

An hour and a half later, the date, time and other basic information was organized, and Amanda was busy organizing publicity. Melissa was grateful that the other girl was on her side; if this was left up to her, she'd have forgotten a key detail.

Throwing herself back on her bed, she felt as though she was soaring among the clouds.

Then, she noticed an unopened message from 'JinXed13 ' Curious to see who was offering her help now, she opened the email.

'Hey Melissa! Anything I can do to help?' it read. It was short, but it was recognizable as Milo- she was sure of it.

Smiling at the thought of Murphy's Law in full force, she sent a short email in return.

' _If you can spare items to donate, that'd be great! Or you could maybe help run a stall?'_

' _P.S. What happened to your email address? That wasn't the one you used last week.'_

A ping delivered her answer promptly.

' _I'll stick to running a stall_ 😊 _anything of mine either combusts or stays in my backpack for emergencies._

' _P.S. I'm really not sure- I couldn't get back into my original account- I might have been hacked. Didn't know Murphy's Law affected the internet as well. (:p)_

Melissa chortled quietly at that. She wasn't surprised at that- but she did have to wonder if Milo ever found a break from Murphy's Law _anywhere._

'You'll break the internet one of these days,' she said jokingly, before sending it. It was nice just talking to Milo again- even if it was through email, and not in person as they were accustomed to. They had to meet up again- she missed having him around.

His reply caught her off guard.

' _Melissa, I've been there and done that.' :D_


End file.
